Saneh Kallapapreuk, a 40-year-old in Angthong province, was one such person. Wounded in an accident on Saturday, Saneh went to the polling station in Pho Thong district with an intravenous drip still attached to his body and in hospital garments. He left the hospital accompanied by a relative with the sole purpose of casting his vote. Saneh, who was to return to the hospital later, said he wanted to fulfil his duty as a citizen.

In Lampang's Thoen district, a speeding pickup truck overturned in the morning after a tyre suddenly burst, slightly injuring eight people including four children. But that did not dissuade the eligible members of the family from casting their ballots.

The driver, Sanguan Kheunkham, 27, a lathe operator in Ratchaburi, said he drove overnight with his family members so they could get to Chiang Mai in time to vote. He was charged with reckless driving and causing injuries to others. The family subsequently contacted their relatives and asked them to pick them up from Lampang and cast their votes before the election booths closed in Chiang Mai. - The Nation.

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Long night ahead at TRT office

The scene at the Thai Rak Thai Party's headquarters was chaotic yesterday evening as an army of journalists and media crews waited for party members' reactions after voting closed.

Many seemed to be settling in for an all-night vigil to monitor the election results.

Resigned to the fact that the reporters weren't going anywhere, party officials prepared food and snacks for them. - The Nation.

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Official opens 'wrongly folded' ballot

At Polling Unit 47 in Bangkok's Sathon consituency, sheltered behind a board, an election official picked up a ballot, unfolded it and checked what vote had been cast. Ignoring a whispered warning from another official that act was illegal, the man refolded the ballot and put it away.

An official at the spot later told The Nation: "The officers who hand out the ballots to voters folded it incorrectly. We needed to correct it."

But the unfolding of ballots was so blatant that it was spotted by a group of teenagers, who got out of their car to watch. Apparently they too were able to read the ballots, because one commented to his friends: "Hey, there are a lot of 'no vote' votes." - The Nation.

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Songkhla gamblers follow poll keenly

As soon as officials in Songkhla's Constituency 1 closed the ballot boxes at 186 polling stations, local bookies started a betting pool on the results, a source said.

Punters speculated on whether Thai Rak Thai candidate Wanchai Parinyasiri would get more than 20 per cent of the vote, with the odds offering a Bt1,000 payout on a Bt200 bet. Bets were also made on the number of "no vote" ballots, the source said, with gamblers planning to attend the counting of votes starting at 8pm. - The Nation.